Merry Thanksgiving
by Duchess of Awesome
Summary: The Marauders and co. celebrate Thanksgivings through the ages. From first year to Harry's birth.
1. Peter

Her favorite holiday had always been Thanksgiving. But she didn't think of that at all when she said she was going to Hogwarts. But mid-November had come, and homesickness was starting to set in at last. Peter, sweet kid that he was, had asked what was going on in Potions that day. He had obviously never heard of it, but he listened as she blurted it out, even though he had no clue what she was talking about. Then he had promptly run off and forgotten about it, without asking her to explain the latest American thing she was bummed about in her sea of culture shock. It was nice of him to ask, though.

That Thursday night, she curled herself up on a sofa in the common room, determined to enjoy the latest adventure of Martin the Mad Muggle and not think about the fact that back in the states, she would be curled up with her niece in the Taylor Estate's grand foyer, gazing up at the domed ceiling and trying to fight off the effects of too much turkey.

The portrait hole opened, and the reason she was in this mess stood in front of her: James Potter, her sister-in-law's god-brother, and her oldest friend until he had recently met Sirius Black. Since the first week of school, he had pretty much ignored her and spent every waking moment with Sirius. He ran across the room, flung open the door to the boy's dormitory, and turned to her and said, "Mikah, come on up. There's something I want you to see."

"I'm not in the mood, James. Besides, don't you and Sirius have something planned?"

"Yeah. That's what I want you to see." James waited for several seconds, and then stepped forward and dragged her to her feet. She didn't really bother to struggle.

When she got up the stairs, she saw it. Cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and various other foods were being levitated in the air, while Sirius and Peter struggled to hold up an enormous Turkey. Remus was setting a blanket for a picnic.

Six years later, when she was learning to perform a patronus charm, the memory she would use was of Peter dropping the turkey on Sirius's food, and squealing "Merry Thanksgiving!"


	2. The Prewetts

The next year, she half expected it to happen again. She didn't expect half of the tower to show up, however.

"Mikah," said Alastrina's cousins Gideon and Fabian, "why didn't you tell us you were having a party?"

"What?" They had clearly just returned from quidditch practice, and the held their Cleansweep's as though they were beater's bats. It would have been rather menacing if they hadn't been grinning maniacally.

"Yeah," Gideon said, "Your little boyfriends have been sneaking about for weeks, filching silverware and everything from the kitchens."

"And Minnie blamed it on us," Fabian added.

"So when we went to go ask Potter what was going on—"

"He refused to tell us anything."

"But the wimpy one said—"

"That it was for your party tonight."

Mikah blinked. "You mean Peter?"

"Yeah. He said it was to cheer you up, and then the smart one babbled on about indigenous peoples and corn."

"So our question is…" Gideon pulled out his wand and waved it about to form a shimmering question mark in the air, "Why didn't you tell us you needed cheering up?"

"Because I just learned how to do cheering charms, and Professor Flitwick said I could use someone to practice on."

Mikah eyed Fabian's wand, and backed up. "Look, I don't know what y'all are talking about, but my only plans for tonight are to do that three foot essay for herbology. I'll see you around."

Her foot slipped into a trick stair, and she swore violently.

"Now, Mikkaylah, we're family," Fabian said cheerily as they lifted her out.

"You're my brother's wife's cousins. I wouldn't exactly say we were intimately related."

"That hurts us!" Gideon exclaimed, "But anyway, we came to tell you that one of the things mentioned in the smart one's explanation was family. So we're coming. See you tonight!"

They gave jaunty waves, and mounted their brooms. Shrieks from the teachers followed them down the Hogwarts corridors.

And that was why she was not at all surprised when Alice Clark pleaded with her to come spy on Frank Longbottom that night. She was a bit alarmed when everyone snuck up behind her, though.

"So," James asked later that night, "Did you have a nice surprise?"

"Yes, James, yes I did."

"Good." He handed her a small foil wrapped package. "Merry Thanksgiving."


End file.
